Rude Boss

Essex

I wasn’t planning on having lunch at The Sandbar, but when I’m frustrated at work, I like to take walks. This particular walk led me to The Sandbar. Seeing Quintessa there was the icing on the cake. No, I didn’t follow her. This was all a coincidence, or maybe it was fate. Okay, I won’t take it that far. Still, I was elated to see her, though I did a good job of disguising it. And when I saw her, I felt the same flutter in my chest as I did when she stepped into the conference room for the interview – when, all those years ago, she helped me pick up my books when a group of guys pushed me down in the hallway. It was the first time we met. I’ll never forget it. It’s stained into my permanent memory. And she has those same bright, comforting deep brown eyes that I’ve missed so badly over the years.

I swivel around in my chair, and with my fingers laced behind my head, I peer outside. Having lunch with Quintessa today was the best thing that’s happened to me in a long time. I want more time with her, but judging by the vibe I picked up, she doesn’t want anything to do with me – probably because of who she perceives I am.

The tap at the door takes me out of my daze.

“Come in.”

I hear Ms. Davison say, “Mr. DePaul, they’re waiting for you in the conference room.”

“Who’s waiting for me?”

“The—uh—executives. They have the people from Walbridge on video conference. Did you not get my reminder about the meeting today?”

“I did, Ms. Davison. My mind was elsewhere.”

And still is…

It’s with Quintessa, at lunch sharing small talk. Taking in the shape of her face. Her lips.

I push away from my desk, take the file I’ve been keeping on Walbridge and saunter to the conference room.

“Good afternoon, everyone. I hope you all are doing well this lovely afternoon.”

My executives, who are physically here, look at each other, puzzled.

Paul Walton, the CEO at Walbridge, whose face fills the conferencing screen, says, “Well, good afternoon, Mr. DePaul. Finally, we meet. You’re not an easy guy to get ahold of.”

“That’s business, Mr. Walton. I’m sure you know how it is.”

“All too well, my friend. All too well...”

“Now that we’re all here, let’s get right down to business, shall we?”

“We shall. Why don’t you tell me what your company can do for Walbridge Industries?”

I say, “I’ll be more than happy to. First, let me introduce everyone. Susan Musk heads up the Tax Department. Denise Zubar covers consulting. Linda May is over the Audit Department and Theodore Cruz handles Mergers and Acquisitions. These entities are not foreign to you, Mr. Walton. You’re working with a tax agency now who can provide you with all of these, but do they have the skills—the technology to give you the best result every single time. Just to give you a little background, I started this company with a few thousand dollars in the bank. It took a lot of hard work and dedication to get to where I am today. I’m sure you know the grind and determination it takes to get to the top.”

“Oh, I know that all too well.”

“Then it’s of great importance to reward that hard work with a company who can ensure that not only are your taxes handled appropriately, but every business aspect of the financial piece of your company be looked at thoroughly and evaluated efficiently. You’ll find no firm better than DePaul & Company. I’ll have Mrs. Zubar give you an overview of what her department does. Mrs. Zubar, you have the floor.”

I take a step back and stand near the windows with my arms crossed.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Walton. My department provides consulting services, which include tax implications for whatever it is your company is trying to do financially or strategically. Let’s say you wanted to grow your workforce or build a second location on the other side of town. My department will be instrumental in giving you the best answers to produce sustainable results. No situation is too big or too small—we’re here to steer you in the right direction.”

Mrs. May says, “And I can jump in here and tell you our audit services are top tier. You always need to know what the state of your business is, so nothing catches you off guard. At any given time, we shed light on your business so you are free to propel future aspirations without having to worry about implications from past issues.”

Mr. Cruz chimes in to say, “And as head of Mergers and Acquisitions, I can tell you – no M&A deal is alike. If Walbridge Industries ever bought out another company, or if you were to merge with a company, my team is here to help you through the integration. This is what we do all day, every day, and I might add, we’re good at it.”

“And there you have it,” I say. “Before I hired all of these great people, I did all of this myself. Most of these things I learned in college, but I’m self-taught on much of it. With the number of clients we have now, there’s no way I can do it all alone, so these executives sitting here today are the backbone of this organization as well as the many other associates who work tirelessly making sure this ship floats. In 2022, this is the place to be. Now, I’ll open up the floor to you for comments or questions.”

“I do not have any questions. I believe you’ve answered everything.”

“Good. Feel free to give me a call if you think of something we didn’t cover. I’m here to answer all of your questions.”

“I will. Thank you,” Mr. Walton says. “You sound like busy people. I’ll let you get back to your duties.”